Prologue
by SydandVaughn
Summary: As Clark feels the effects of the meteor shower, he finds support in an unexpected place. Clois.
1. Chapter 1

Title: Prologue

Rating: PG-13

Summary: As Clark feels the effects of the meteor shower, he finds support in an unexpected place. Clois.

Disclaimer: I don't own Smallville, Superman, etc. That's all A&M, The WB, etc.

Pics from: DTS, and Thanks to jenni for being the most amazing beta!

http/img. One: Responsibilities

http/img. Lane stared down at her name on the byline. Never had she imagined how proud she could be of herself. Lois hadn't meant to write the story now printed on the front page of the Daily Planet. She had only wanted to do something to help in someway the town she had resided in for a short period of time.

Though, if she was honest with herself, Smallville was the one place where she had felt at home Which is why she wanted to help. Chloe was the one who had suggested that Lois write the article, because she felt too close to the town to write it herself. Lois was surprised how easy writing it was for her. Except for the spelling, which was what spell check was made for.

Lois was even more surprised when Perry White wanted to print it in the Daily Planet. She wasn't sure the story was good enough for the Planet, or anywhere else for that matter; but Mr. White had complimented her over and over, and soon Lois caved. And now the story was in print, circulated all over the world.

Which was what both excited and frightened Lois. Hopefully Mr. White was right about her.

After Lois had written the story, she still couldn't leave Smallville. At least not in the shape it was in. So she had called the General and explained why she couldn't help him in his search for Lucy. He had not taken the news well. The General couldn't understand that Smallville, and especially the Kents, had treated Lois more like family than he ever had. But she couldn't abandon them at a time like this.

Especially since Jonathan Kent was killed in the meteor shower. It had surprised Lois how saddened she was by this. Though she was appreciative of generosity, Lois had thought she had kept Mr. Kent, as she did everyone, at arm's length. She knew how much it hurt to lose somebody you loved, and she had never wanted to feel that way again after her mother had died.

Lois had grieved once before after her mother, when she believed Chloe had died. But that was proven to be a cover, so all was right in the world and Lois could go back to not hurting and protecting herself. But apparently she hadn't protected her heart as well as she thought she had.

She felt as if her own father had died. Or at least what she had always wished her own father would be. Now Lois would have to go on without that kind of paternal support again. It was a difficult adjustment for her to make.

Though Lois still worried about her little sister, Lois had other responsibilities now. And it was time for Lois to grow up and face them. That meant helping Smallville rebuild itself. Plus Lois felt she owed it to Mr. Kent to help his family when he couldn't.

Thankfully the Red Cross had stepped in to help the town, so Lois could focus on the Kent Farm. The house and barn had been destroyed. Fortunately Martha Kent had survived. Mr. Kent had died protecting her from the meteor that came crashing into the house. And from Jason Teague. Mrs. Kent hadn't told Lois too much that had happened, but she had pieced together that Jason had attacked the Kents before the shower.

Mrs. Kent was pillar of strength. Somehow she was able to hold it together and start rebuilding her home. She was grieving for her husband, but Mrs. Kent knew there was work to be done.

Then there was Clark Kent, who was nowhere near Smallville. Mrs. Kent assured Lois of his safety and tried to explain away his absence, but Lois had a hard time understanding how she could be there helping his mother reconstruct everything from scratch, but he couldn't. Lois couldn't understand how someone like Clark, with his devotion and protective nature towards his family, could just disappear in his family's time of need.

Despite herself, she felt angry towards Clark. Mrs. Kent saw her anger and tried to reassure her that Clark's absence was necessary; but Lois didn't see it. She knew Mrs. Kent was hiding something about Clark's absence from her, yet Lois still felt he should be here.

Clark didn't even know about his father's death. That was the only thing that gained sympathy for Clark from Lois. She had lost a parent, and knew that when Clark finally did come home, he would have a lot to deal with. Mrs. Kent was postponing Mr. Kent's funeral until Clark got back from who knows where. Lois hoped Clark would return soon, so their family could start the healing process and move on from this tragedy.

Lois took a breath and put down the paper. She didn't need to get herself so agitated. She took one more sip of her coffee and exited the trailer on the Kent Farm. Today they were starting the framing for the new house.


	2. Searches

Chapter Two: Searches

Three months later

Clark Kent stopped running when he reached the county line. A blast of air created by his super speed blew his dark hair into his face. Clark was uncertain about what would lay before him in Smallville.

It had been three months since he was pulled from the caves and deposited in the cold North. The crystal that had formed from the three stones had led Clark to a makeshift Kryptonian home. Though the place had answered many questions he had about his heritage; it had also created many more questions for Clark.

Clark still did not know his place in the world. He knew his abilities could be used to help people or to rule over them. Of course Clark wanted to help, yet Jor-El made it seem as if Clark would have no choice in the matter but to rule. And how exactly he could use his abilities on a global scale was still unclear.

He still had some soul searching to do, yet Clark could no longer stay away from his Earth home. He would have to find the answers he was looking for here. The place in which Clark grew up.

The prospect of going back to Smallville made Clark apprehensive though. He was not sure of the state in which he left it. Clark knew the meteors had hit, but did not know what damage they had done. He still felt guilty over the first meteor shower that had hit Smallville and brought him to Earth. Clark had no idea how he was going to handle more guilt from this second shower.

Clark had wanted to help clean up the mess the meteor shower had left in its wake. But Jor-El had made it clear to Clark before he left that if the meteor shower was to stop, Clark must acknowledge his destiny. Yet his destiny was still more or less a blank page to Clark, and he wasn't there for the people he loved. He could only hope that the fallout had not been severe and everyone had survived.

Worry about his parents was the real pull Clark felt that led him back to Smallville. Not to mention Chloe and Lois. And Lana. Being gone for so long, Clark didn't think he and Lana would have another chance. They had already had so many chances. He was sure that any luck they did have, had run out.

So now, after three months of being worried, wondering, and feeling frustrated; Clark stood at the county line unable to go any further. He had tried to prepare himself for what he might see, but deep down Clark knew no amount of preparation could help him handle seeing the results of the shower. he kept waiting for the butterflies in his stomach to subside, but they only increased.

Finally, knowing the fear of the unknown outweighed the fear he had of what he would find in Smallville, Clark took a step closer to home. And another. And another. Soon he had returned to super speed. In a matter of minutes Clark was back home on the Kent Farm.


	3. Homecoming

Chapter 3: Homecoming

Lois took a long gulp from her water bottle, as condensation dripped from her hands down her arms. Lois threw the water bottle back into the cooler, and slammed the cooler shut. She wiped her moist hands on her forehead and into her hair in an attempt to cool off.

The summer heat was raging down on the construction crew, just as the house and barn were almost completed. It had seemed to be a slow process to rebuild everything, and Lois was looking forward to all of it being done. But now the heat had slowed everyone down, and the construction lingered on.

Lois' frustration was growing with every sweat bead that ran down her back. All she wanted was everything completed, but her patience was waning. Already this morning she had yelled at two guys who were slacking in the back of a truck, drinking beer. It was ten o'clock in the morning and they were already trying to get hammered. Lois had literally jumped onto the truck bed and dragged them back to the work site.

By now Lois had gained a reputation by the construction crew as a hard ass. No one wanted to get in her way, which was how Lois liked it. She found it required very little bullying now to get what she wanted from the crew. Mostly she asked for them to work longer hours or milk the cows for Mrs. Kent.

Lois had insisted on managing the construction, with the help of the construction supervisor; while Mrs. Kent tried to keep the farm alive. Though Lois hadn't had a lot of experience in construction- just what she had seen on the army bases- she knew nothing about cows or corn. The arrangement seemed to work, much to the chagrin of the construction crew.

Pulling out a list, Lois looked at what still had to be done: put in kitchen cabinets, fix the plumbing in the bathroom, finish painting the house, and finish the electrical wiring in the barn. It could be done in a week, as long as nobody had a heat stroke.

As Lois was about to walk to the back of the house to finish painting, she saw a figure walking up the driveway. She squinted into the sun and shaded her eyes with her hand to see who was coming. Her heart beat faster as she realized it was Clark.

She had hoped for and dreaded this day since everything had happened. She wanted Clark there to help, but Lois had no idea what to say to him. Lois fumbled for the walkie-talkie attached to her hip, determined not to be the one to tell Clark about his father.

"Mrs. Kent are you there?" Lois asked hopefully. Then urgently asked, "Has anyone seen Mrs. Kent?"

"Uh... I think she's in the field Miss. Lane," came the static response.

"Well somebody go get her and tell her he son's back," Lois ordered.

"Now?"

"Yes, now!" Lois responded. "Do you think I want you to wait until next week? Hurry."

"I'm going," replied the voice on the headset, then, to anyone other than Lois, the voice asked mockingly, "Who gave her a walkie-talkie?"

She chose to ignore the comment, instead preparing herself for what was about to happen. As she clipped the walkie-talkie back, Lois noticed Clark was now right in front of her. She studied him, not finding anything different about him physically. No scars or scratches, like she had from being banged up by the construction. Not tan like she was from working all day in the sun. The man wasn't even sweating, and he was wearing a jacket. Lois swore sometimes that Clark wasn't even human.

Lois did notice a change in Clark's eyes though. They were still the same bright blue that both intrigued and annoyed Lois. But what was behind his eyes has changed. There was more experience, more knowledge, more wisdom there. And, from her personal experience this summer, she was able to notice more responsibility. It almost seemed that Clark held the weight of the world in his eyes.

She also noticed his confusion. And in an instant Lois felt sympathy for him, knowing his world was about to fall apart. _God, I hope that construction worker is running._

"What happened here, Lois?" Clark finally asked, breaking the longest silence that had ever occurred between them.

"Hey Smallville. How've you been? Nice of you to show up," Lois' voice dripped in annoyance as she considered his question the most stupidest question in the world. "What was that thing that happened? Wow, great question. Let me think about it."

"Lois don't start with me. Just tell me what happened." replied Clark with the same amount of annoyance.

"The meteor shower. That's what happened. Do you remember that?"

"How much damage was there?" Clark asked, ignoring Lois' irritation.

Lois sighed, trying to calm herself down. "Pretty much total damage," Lois replied, softer this time. "We're almost done with the reconstruction. There's some wiring left in the barn, and couple more things left with the house."

Clark looked bewildered. He had expected destruction, but not this much. "Everything was destroyed?"

"Pretty much," Lois answered.

"What about my parents?" Clark asked urgently. "Are they okay? Where are they?"

"Um..." Lois started.

"CLARK!" came a cry from the other side of the house. Mrs. Kent rushed to Clark's side and embraced her son. Tears were streaming down her face, as she sobbed into Clark's chest.

Clark quickly wrapped his arms around his mother, relieved to see her. He did his best to soothe her, reassuring her that he was okay.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Mrs. Kent stepped back from her son and looked at him. Lois, not quite comfortable being in the middle of the family reunion, quietly left them alone to resume her work. She was relieved that Clark was back, that Mrs. Kent finally had something to be happy about, and that Lois didn't have to deliver the heart breaking news to Clark.

"Clark, it's so good to see you. Are you okay?" Mrs. Kent asked.

"I'm fine Mom. What about you? Lois told me that a meteor hit the house."

"We need to talk. Let's go to the barn. I don't think there are any workers in there."

Mrs. Kent took Clark's hand and led him to the barn.

"Mom, what do we need to talk about?" Clark asked apprehensively.

"I have some bad news."


End file.
